CRSQ Archive

Volume 32,
Number 1
June, 1995Abstracts

Wernher von Braun: The Father of
Modern Space FlightA Christian and a Creationist

Jerry Bergman, Ph.D.

The life and work of Wernher von Braun, the father
of modern space flight, is reviewed, focusing on his achievements and
his creationist world view. A staunch supporter of creationism, he openly
made his views known about his conclusion that the universe is clearly
designed by an all-powerful God and that the creationist world view
should be taught in the schools alongside the evolutionary world view.
His life shows evolutionists that creationism is an entirely adequate
explanation for the reality around us, and that a theistic world view,
where God is not only the Creator but also Sustainer, is a defensible
position.

Late Cretaceous Epeiric Sea or Retreating
Floodwater?

Carl R. Froede, Jr., B.S., P.G.

The uniformitarian Middle to Late Cretaceous seaway
of North America serves as an interesting feature in earths past.
Much paleontological work has been performed and many environmental
reconstructions have been attempted to determine conditions during this
time. What does this period of time hold for young earth creationists?
This paper examines the uniformitarian Cretaceous seaway within the
young earth Creation/Flood model and suggests that this seaway did exist,
but only as Flood waters slowly receded from the North American continent.

A Review of Claims About Archaeopteryx
in the Light of the Evidence

Ernst Lutz, Ph.D.

Archaeopteryx has widely been claimed to
be the outstanding piece of evidence for macro-evolution in general
and for evolution from reptiles to birds in particular. But while it
is the oldest known bird and also an interesting mosaic containing some
features also found in reptiles, there is neither evidence of a lineage
from reptiles to Archaeopteryx nor from it to any living birds.
Further, and also most importantly, natural selection is inadequate
as a possible mechanism to explain the descent of Archaeopteryx. In
view of the evidence, science has oversold the case for Archaeopteryx
as a transitional form.

Methodology for Analysis of Science
Teaching Materials From a Creationist World View

This article introduces a methodology for analyzing
science materials for evidence of creationist content. The Institute
for Creation Research tenets were used as a basis for the analysis.
A field test of the methodology as used on four Christian publishers
science texts is presented.

Emmett L. Williams, Ph.D.

In 10 years of observing the erosion of unconsolidated
sediments at Providence Canyon State Park in southwestern Georgia, it
is concluded that catastrophic events are more devastating or ruinous
than slow, gradual processes. More erosional work was accomplished during
a catastrophe than that observed in previous and later years of "normal"
erosion. Also the evidence of a catastrophic erosional and depositional
event can be obscured by later "normal" erosional processes.

Polar Dinosaurs and the Genesis
Flood

Michael J. Oard, M.S.

Many dinosaur fossils have recently been discovered
at polar latitudes. Warm-climate vegetation is also found at these latitudes.
However, general circulation climate models consistently show that mid
and high latitude continental areas would be very cold in winter during
the Cretaceous and early Tertiary. This contradictory information is
difficult for the uniformitarian scientist to explain. The creationist
model offers at least three possible solutions to this mystery. One
solution is especially emphasized because it also provides a possible
solution to two creationist problems: 1) billions of dinosaur tracks
found around the world and 2) dinosaur nests with newly hatched baby
dinosaurs. Both of these events occurred on top of thousands of meters
of Flood sediment. It is proposed that a strip of land, roughly paralleling
the continental divide of North America, was temporarily exposed during
the first 150 days of the Flood.